J.P. Arencibia

Matt Wieters came down with some tendinitis in his elbow earlier this week after catching in a game for the first time since Tommy John surgery and now he’s essentially been ruled out for the start of the season.

J.P. Arencibia has proven to be not much of a hitter with a career .208 batting average and .662 OPS, but last night the 28-year-old catcher/first baseman made his pitching debut for the Rangers and looked pretty decent.

Earlier this week Rangers catcher J.P. Arencibia spoke out about what he believed was unfair treatment by the Toronto media back when he was with the Blue Jays, suggesting that “the media made me out to be a monster” and that played a part in his being let go.

Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. Next up: The Toronto Blue Jays. The Big Question: Isn’t doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…

The bad news keeps coming for the Rangers, who announced yesterday that infielder Jurickson Profar will be out for 10-12 weeks with a torn shoulder muscle and have now lost catcher Geovany Soto for 10-12 weeks with a torn lateral meniscus in his knee. Soto will undergo surgery, likely leaving J.P. Arencibia as the starting…

Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. First up: The Texas Rangers. The Big Question: Were the bold moves bold enough? The past two offseasons seasons saw the division…

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Rangers catcher Geovany Soto will be sidelined for three weeks after he underwent surgery this morning to remove a small bone that was putting pressure on a tendon in his left foot. Despite the surgery, the Rangers still expect Soto to be ready for Opening Day.…

Here’s the rundown of where this winter’s top 150 free agents are landing, continuously updated throughout the offseason. Re-signings are posted in red, while players signing with new teams are in blue. Stars denote players who received qualifying offers and thus will cost their new team a draft pick if they sign elsewhere. (Non-tenders have…

The Rangers nearly traded for J.P. Arencibia before he was non-tendered by the Blue Jays. Now they have him anyway, signing him to a one-year deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It’s worth $1.8 million and includes $300,000 in incentives, according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal. Arencibia, who turns 28 next month,…

The Rangers are zeroing in on catching help on the heels of A.J. Pierzynski leaving Texas for a one-year deal with the World Series champion Red Sox. While Kurt Suzuki was mentioned as a possibility earlier this week, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Rangers and J.P. Arencibia are “progressing” toward a deal. Arencibia…

From MLB.com’s Rangers beat writer, T.R. Sullivan: The Rangers had serious trade discussions with the Blue Jays about catcher J.P. Arencibia before he was non-tendered on Monday, according to industry sources. A trade was close to being completed but the Rangers were reluctant to add another arbitration-eligible player. The Rangers were willing to do a…

The Marlins have mostly been connected to marginal free agents so far this offseason, but they have one notable name on their wish list. According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins recently made an offer to free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The specifics aren’t known, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms that…

We’ll be writing up the non-tenders as they come in prior to Monday’s midnight deadline. These players immediately become free agents. AMERICAN LEAGUE Angels – RHP Juan Gutierrez, RHP Tommy Hanson, INF Chris Nelson, RHP Jerome Williams All of these were expected. Hanson and Williams would have cost upwards of $4 million apiece. Williams is…

Dioner Navarro agreeing to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Jays seemed to signal that 2013 starting catcher J.P. Arencibia was on his way out of Toronto and sure enough Shi Davidi of Sports Net reports that Arencibia will be non-tendered if they can’t find a trade before tonight’s deadline. Arencibia has very…

Dioner Navarro has agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Jays, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Navarro went from 24-year-old All-Star in 2008 to little-used, unproductive backup from 2010-2012, but the switch-hitting catcher put together a big season in a part-time role for the Cubs this year. He hit .300 with…

It’s the catcher market that has moved the most quickly in free agency this winter, with Brian McCann becoming the first elite free agent to come to terms, agreeing to a five-year, $85 million deal with the Yankees on Saturday. The other catcher deals: Carlos Ruiz – Phillies (three years, $26 million) Geovany Soto –…

The Blue Jays once traded for Angels catcher Mike Napoli. Then four days later they got rid of him. Maybe seeing Napoli help two teams to the World Series since then has them trying for a do-over. Here’s Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun: Yes, the Blue Jays need starting pitching. Yet, that’s not the only…

The Roberto Clemente Award goes to the Major Leaguer who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” Clayton Kershaw won it last year. The 2013 nominees — one per team — were just announced and are listed below. And now my annual complaint, albeit a minor one: Baseball has set…